Taiping Street

Tripp here - A few more Changsha pics.  We went to a place called Taiping Street.  For centuries (as I understand it) it was a busy shopping street market sort of area.  Near the river.  It has largely been redone and converted to a more upscale shopping area.  Many bars and nice shops.  There is a picture of a very Asian building which is a stage at which the Beijing symphony plays on a regular basis.  But what always catches my eye (and yours too if you were here I'm sure) is the way the old and new China bump right into each other.  We have this nice street with shops.  But if you walk off this street more than one room "deep" so to speak.  You are right back to the old days.  It is fun to see.

Interestingly, a Chinese man and his family (I assume) walked up to Andrea and asked where she was from.  Clearly a thick Asian accent, but spoke English well.  Turns out he was a UVA grad.  So we got to talk about how nice it is in Virginia.  Felt good.

Lastly, the hotel in Changsha put a huge Christmas tree in the lobby.  It was lit later on.  But this is the one that has important people in the picture!